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Trade pact would hurt workers and public

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Saturday February 8, 2014 6:39 AM

Our national economy should provide a vibrant job market for our communities, not one that
benefits wealthy corporations at our expense.

This is why I’m urging my elected officials to stop the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

To understand the pact, I had to learn about NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement,
signed by President Clinton in 1994.

It was to create jobs and improve trade relations among the United States, Canada and
Mexico.

However, 20 years later, American jobs are outsourced, income inequality has increased and
Mexican farmers who have subsequently lost their jobs are coming to the U.S. for work, causing
immigration tension.

This is what happened when regulations were manipulated in the name of “free trade.”

The administration and corporations are now suggesting another free-trade agreement, the Pacific
pact, which would be between twelve countries: the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Australia,
New Zealand, Brunei, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Japan.

Many Americans have never heard of it.

Many members of Congress are not even permitted access to the document. The U.S. Trade
Representative and more than 600 other corporate “trade advisers” are discussing this behind closed
doors.

Like NAFTA, the Pacific agreement is removing important trade regulations.

It will get rid of food-safety standards and enforce patent laws, which can limit access to
generic medications. It also ignore workers’ rights and violates nations’ environmental
standards.

These free-trade agreements hurt the poor by removing safety regulations and capitalizing on
their cheap labor to benefit wealthy corporations.

We can stop repeating history and enforce fairer trade practices. Say no to the Trans-Pacific
Partnership.